I don't know about you, but I bet you're likely to catch a commercial for yogurt claiming it can help you loose those extra pounds. So is this the latest weight loss secret to make its way to the general public? You bet - but actually it's really not a new secret. Those who love yogurt, including French women, have known for a very long time just how beneficial it can be for losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight.

Yogurt added to your diet can actually rev up your internal fat burning engine, which can speed up your weight loss, but more importantly it can help you get rid of that excess tummy fat that most of complain about, and to get trim.

A study done recently showed that obese adults who began eating three servings a day of fat free yogurt as well as reduced calorie intake actually lost 22% more weight and 60% more body fat than those who only reduced their calorie intake. Even more exciting - yogurt eaters lost 81% more fat in the stomach area (the more dangeous fat) than those that only reduced their calorie intake.

The average weight loss was 15 pounds and the yogurt group did a much better job of maintaining their lean muscle mass. Michael Zeml PhD and professor of nutrition believes that this is critical when one is dieting. You don't want to lose muscle - just fat! And the more muscle you have the more calories you can burn.

French women have known this secret for a long time - they just weren't about to share it. And in American we've known that yogurt is certainly associated with good health but we were just a little slower to realize how important it was in weight loss and weight control.

We love our yogurt in America as much as the French do. We just haven't previously thought of it as a diet food. We eat almost $3 billion dollars of yogurt in a year. All you need to do is take a walk down the dairy isle at your local supermarket and you'll quickly see the number of yogurt choices has grown to an astounding number. On top of that there's no fat, low fat, creamy blends, fruit blends, and the list goes on. It's important that you read labels and know what's in the yogurt container you are planning to purchase.

Yogurt is thought of by many as the perfect food - it's tasty, packed with calcium, and it has healthy levels of fat, protein, and carbs. Many use it as their breakfast food, getting their daily dose in one meal. It's also an excellent snack.

This isn't just one of those fads. There is plenty of research and studies that back the benefits of yogurt in not just weight loss but in overall health, especially a healthy digestive system. Now that you know the number 1 weight loss secret, isn't it time to add it to your diet?